Vending machines



y 1966 A. s. MOYER ETAL 3,253,736

VENDING MACHINES Filed y 1 64 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

ARTHUR B. MOYER. HOWARD DIEBEL.

' JAY B.S.MOYER.

BY. M 'JF PATENT AGENTS.

y 1966 A. a. MOYER ETAL 3,253,736

VENDING MACHINES Filed May 25, 1964 a Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5

INVENTORS.

ARTHUR. B. MOYER. HOWARD. DIEBEL. JAY B. S, MOYER.

BYM r PATENT AGENTS.

United States Patent 3,253,736 VENDING MACHINES Arthur B. Mayer and Howard Diebel, R.R., Jordan Station, Louth Township, Ontario, Canada, and Jay B. S. Moyer, Jordan Village, Louth Township, Ontario, Canada Filed May 25, 1964, Ser. No. 369,685 9 Claims. (Cl. 221--84) This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to vending machines, and especially to vending machines of the type in which one or more merchandising units contained therein is movable between dispensing and loading positions.

One of the major problems that arises in the design of a dispensing machine-is to effect a satisfactory compromise between the capacity of the machine, its ease of servicing, such as its loading, and the space occupied by the machine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new vending machine.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new vending machine comprising merchandising units mounted in a new manner for movement between dispensing and loading positions.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a new vending machine capable either of incorporation in a cabinet, or in the type of structure comprising a bank of such machines.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a new merchandising unit for use in a vending machine.

According to the present invention thereis provided a vending machine comprising a body, a merchandising unit, and means mounting said merchandising unit relative to the body for movement between a dispensing position and a loading position, said means comprising first and second spaced suspension link members, each pivoted at an upper pivot to the body and at a lower pivot to the merchandising unit, and stop means for retaining the merchandising unit in the said loading position.

Preferably, the said merchandising unit comprises a planar support member, a motor-driven sprocket mounted with its axis of rotation extending from said planar member, an indexing motor operatively connected to the said sprocket, an idled sprocket spaced from said motordriven sprocket and mounted with its axis of rotation parallel to the axis of the motor-driven sprocket, an endless belt mounted on said sprockets for indexing movement by said indexing motor, and a plurality of platform members extending from said belt to provide an article receiving compartment between each immediately succeeding pair of platform members.

An endless belt for such a merchandising unit comprises a plurality of L-section members interlinked in a manner to be described particularly hereinafter.

A particular preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine,

I with the door thereof shown in the fully opened position, and one of the merchandising units shown in the loading position while the remainder of the units are in the dispensing position,

FIGURE 2 is a section through the upper part of the machine, on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, to show the manner in which each of the merchandising units is suspended in the vending machine, FIGURE 3 is a part perspective view to a larger and showing a detail of the construction of the endless belt of each merchandising unit of the vending machine, and FIGURES 4 and 5 are respectively-a part perspective view and a part side elevation to show the method of operation of an access door of the machine.

Referring now especially to FIGURES 1 and 2, the vending unit illustrated and described herein is of the type comprising a free-standing cabinet having a body 10 and a front door 11 pivoted to the body about a vertical axis. Four merchandising units 12 are mounted side by side within the body of the cabinet, the three left hand units being shown in the so-called dispensing position, while the extreme right hand unit is shown in the socalled loading position.

Each unit comprises a fiat supporting back plate 13 having a channel member 14 fastened to the central portion thereof, the said member serving as a support at its bottom end for a hexagonal-section sprocket 15, which is mounted with its axis of rotation 16 perpendicular to the plane of the back plate 13. This sprocket 15 is driven via pinions 17 and 18 and a chain 19 from a small, electrically driven, indexing motor 20 mounted on the back plate 13 beneath the channel 14, so that the motor is protected by the channel. A second hexagonal-section idler sprocket 21 is mounted at the other end of the channel member 14 with its axis of rotation 22 perpendicular to the plane of the backing member 13 and parallel to the axis 16. An endless belt 23, consisting of a plurality of L-section members such as 24 passes over both of the sprockets and is moved intermittently as required under the control of the indexing motor 20. Each of the L-section members comprises a link arm 24A and a platform arm 24B, the links being connected together to form the endless belt-in a manner to be described more particularly below. It will be seen that the link arms of all the L-section members are coplanar and form the endless belt, while the platform arms extend substantially perpendicular to the plane of the belt and generally parallel to one another. An edge member 25 extends almost completely around the edge of the back plate 13 and completely surrounds the belt except for a viewing aperature 26 disposed opposite a window 27 in the door, and a dispensing aperture 28 which (with the merchandising unit in the dispensing position) is disposed above a tray 29 mounted in the body of the machine. A minor edge member 30 is mounted at the bottom front corner of the back plate 13 to form a bridge between the viewing aperture 26 and the dispensing aperture 28 carries an operators handle 31.

Referring now especially to FIGURE 2, each unit 12 shown therein in the loading position has a protective back plate 32, the back plate of the nearer unit being shown as removed in order to show the means for mounting the unit in the body 10, said means comprising first and second link suspension members 33 and 34 respectively. The member 3-3 is of box section having its upper end pivotally connected, as by a hinge 35, to the upper part of the back wall of the body 10, and its lower end pivotally connected, as by another hinge 35, to a channel-section member 36 fastened to the back plate 13. The member 34 comprises a bar pivoted at its lower end to the member 36, and having at its upper end a cross bar 37 by which the member can be removably hooked into a channel section member 38 mounted at the top of the body 10, unhooking being effected by passing the cross bar 36 through an appropriately shaped slot 38A in the side wall of the channel member 38. It will be understood that the distances between the respective pivots of the members 33 and 34 are substantially the same, so that the two members are parallel to one another. An adjustably mounted bump member 39 on the channel 36 engages the back wall when the merchandising unit is in the dispensing position and permits adjustments of this position.

A stop member for retaining the merchandising unit in the said loading position comprises a lever 40 having a detent 41 at the end of the shorter arm thereof and an upper pivot to the body and each pivoted at a lower pivot to the said planar support member with the plane of movement of said suspension link members parallel to the plane of the planar support member, the axes of said pivots being substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the plane off said planar support member, and stop means for retaining the merchandise unit in said loading position,

5. A vending machine comprising a vertically disposed, rectangular section body, a channel member disposed in the neighbourhood of the upper front edge of said body, and a merchandising unit comprising a planar support member, an endless belt mounted by said support member and providing a plurality of article receiving compartments, and means for indexing said endless belt through a dispensing station, the machine also comprising means mounting said merchandising unit for movement between a dispensing position and a loading position, said means comprising a first suspension link member pivoted at its lower end to the planar support member and pivoted at its upper end by a hook pivot connection to the channel member, and a second suspension link member spaced from and parallel to the first mentioned member, pivoted at an upper pivot to the body and at a lower pivot to the said planar support member and stop means for retaining the merchandising unit in the said loading position comprising a lever having a long arm and a short arm and pivoted to the said planar member and a detent on said short arm engageable in the said loading position with the said channel member to prevent return of the merchan dising unit to the said dispensing position.

6. A vending machine comprising a body, a merchandising unit, means mounting said merchandising unit for movement relative to the body between a dispensing position and a loading position, said means comprising first and second spaced suspension link members each pivoted at an upper pivot to the body, and at a lower pivot to the merchandising unit, stop means for retaining the merchandising unit in the said loading position, a dispensing position to which articles are discharged from the merehandising unit, and a door permitting access to said dispensing position, said door comprising inner and outer door members pivoted to one another and facing one another, and means so engaging the inner door member that movement of the outer door member to obtain access to the dispensing position causes movement of the second door member to a position preventing access from the dispensing position into the merchandising unit.

7. A vending machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said two door members are of channel section, with the sides of the channels pivotally connected respectively to one another and comprising a member fixed to the body, and an extension on the inner ,door member engaging said fixed member whereby movement of the outer door member raises the pivot between the two door members, and thereby raises the second door member into the said access preventing position.

8. A vending machine comprising a body, a merchan dising unit and means mounting said merchandising unit for movement relative to the body between a dispensing position and a loading position, said mounting means comprising firstand second spaced suspension link members each pivoted at an upper pivot to the body and at a lower pivot to the said plane arm support member, and stop means for retaining the merchandising unit in the said loading position, said merchandising unit comprising a planar support member, a motor-driven sprocket mounted with its axis of rotation extending from said planar member, an indexing motor operatively connected to the said sprocket, and an idler sprocket spaced from said motordriven sprocket and mounted with its axis of rotation parallel to the axis of the motor-driven sprocket, an endless belt mounted on said sprockets for movement by said indexing motor and a plurality of platform members extending from said belt to provide respective receiving compartments between each immediately succeeding pair of platform members.

9. A vending machine comprising a body, a merchandising unit and means mounting said merchandising unit relative to the body for movement between a dispensing position and a loading position, said means comprising first and second spaced suspension link members each pivoted at an upper pivot to the body and at a lower pivot to the merchandising unit, and stop means for retaining the merchandising unit in the said loading position, said merchandising unit comprising a planar support member, an endless belt mounted by said support member for indexing movement and providing a plurality of article receiving compartments, said endless belt comprising a plurality of L-section members having one arm thereof constituting a platform member, and the other arm thereof constituting a link member, a pair of spaced tab extensions projecting from the free edge of each link member coplanar with the remainder of the member, enlarged heads on said tab extensions, and respective oo-operating slots at the junction of each link and platform member adapted to permit passage therethrough of the tab extensions, the said link members of all the L-section members being coplanar and the said platform members of all the L-section members being substantially parallel to one another.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,823,093 9/1931 Du Grenier 22184 1,995,273 3/ 1935 Dohrwardt 198154 2,616,776 11/1952 Jones 22177 2,644,735 7/1953 James 22177 2,665,184 l/1954 Hord 221-84 2,696,326 12/1954 Clem 221-416 3,057,512 10/ 1962 Shurtz 221-77 3,090,521 5/1963 Fazekas 221-129 3,120,324 2/1964 Amberg et a1 221-282 LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner. WALTER SOBIN, Examiner. 

4. A VENDING MACHINE COMPRISING A BODY AND A MERCHANDISING UNIT COMPRISING A PLANAR SUPPORT MEMBER, AN ENDLESS BELT PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF ARTICLE-RECEIVING COMPARTMENTS, AND MEANS FOR INDEXING SAID ENDLESS BELT THROUGH A DISPENSING POSITION, THE MACHINE ALSO COMPRISING MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID MERCHANDISING UNIT RELATIVE TO THE BODY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A DISPENSING POSITION AND A LOADING POSITION, SAID MEANS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND PARALLEL SUSPENSION LINK MEMBERS EACH PIVOTED AT AN UPPER PIVOT TO THE BODY AND EACH PIVOTED AT A LOWER PIVOT TO THE SAID PLANAR SUPPORT MEMBER WITH THE PLANE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SUSPENSION LINK MEMBERS PARALLELTO THE PLANE OF THE PLANAR SUPPORT MEMBER, THE AXES OF SAID PIVOTS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OFF SAID PLANAR SUPPORT MEMBER, AND STOP MEANS FOR RETAINING THE MERCHANDISE UNIT IN SAID LOADING POSITION. 